running an exe file from a director movie

[zapcat webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

I've just got Director MX and probably want to do the impossible already but...

I have an exe file which is a 3D interactive animation which I can't get in an alternative format. Is it possible to open this file from a director movie? I had in mind a button, which when pressed will open the file. I will be publishing the whole project on a CD. If it is possible, how do I do it?

Hope you can help a newbie to director.

[JPrice]

use "open"

"zapcat" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:buoojq$lv1$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> I've just got Director MX and probably want to do the impossible already

but...

>
> I have an exe file which is a 3D interactive animation which I can't get

in an alternative format. Is it possible to open this file from a director
movie? I had in mind a button, which when pressed will open the file. I
will be publishing the whole project on a CD. If it is possible, how do I
do it?

>
> Hope you can help a newbie to director.
>
>

[Questy webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Look up 'open' in the Lingo dictionary.


Andrew Quested
[url]http://www.quested.com.au[/url]

[zapcat webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Thanks for responding so quickly!

I've looked at "open" in the lingo dictionary I can sort of see how it works but I can't get the syntax right. Plus there is the application which should open it....

According to the dictionary I should enter -

open {whichDocument with} whichApplication

So that would be (for me) -

open "library.exe" with ?????????

I'm sorry for asking such a basic question, but I'm this is all pretty new to me.Text

[Andrew Morton]

You don't need the "with" part. That would be if you had e.g.
open the moviePath & "myFile.dat" with the moviePath & "myDatProcessor.exe"

Notice the use of "the moviePath" to make sure that an absolute path to the
files is used.

Andrew

[zapcat webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Andrew,

Thanks for your patient advice. I think my problem revolves around the fact I usually scripts pre-prepared in the library which comes with Director. This is the first time I've ventured in writing Lingo.

Anyway, heres what I'm doing -

In lingo this is all I'm putting in - open the "library.exe"

To which Lingo gives me this message - Script error: Handler definition expected (followed by) open? the "library.exe"

Is there a pre-pprepared script in director for opening an exe file? If not can you help me with what I should put in Lingo?

I just don't seem to be able to find a solution to this.

Thanks

Mark

[Mark A. Boyd]

"zapcat" [email]webforumsuser@macromedia.com[/email] wrote in
news:buu26i$9ig$1@forums.macromedia.com:

> In lingo this is all I'm putting in - open the "library.exe"
>
> To which Lingo gives me this message - Script error: Handler
> definition expected (followed by) open? the "library.exe"

All Lingo needs to reside in a handler. You define a handler with the 'on'
keyword and end it with 'end'

on someHandlerName
do that Lingo that you do so well
end

This and much more information you'll find helpful is covered in the Using
Director manual (F1) in the "Writing Scripts with Lingo" chapter. See
Scripting Basics and Lingo Terminology for starters.


--
Mark A. Boyd
Keep-On-Learnin'

[JPrice]

> In lingo this is all I'm putting in - open the "library.exe"

>

You just need:
open "library.exe"

[zapcat webforumsuser@macromedia.com]

Thanks everyone. Got it all working!!